My Favorite Safer Nail Polish
Nail polish was one of the first things I switched to safer because there are so many great options! Even though I don't paint my nails very often, every small change makes a difference in lowering my toxic load. I was shocked that some brands that I was already liking were free of some pretty nasty ingredients. There are so many options with 5-free, 7-free, 9-free, 10-free...but what do these actually mean? 5-free: free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin and camphor. 7-free: free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide and xylene. 9-free: free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene. paragons and resin.
The Gist:
- Many of the ingredients listed above can lead to long term damage in your reproductive hormones; whether that be from breathing in the fumes or using it on your nails.
- Pictured are some of my favorite safer nail polish brands. Zoya has proven to be my favorite if you consider ingredients, performance, and price point. At $10 a bottle you can't go wrong no matter what color you pick.
- This Deborah Lippmann Hard Rock base and top coat gets the job done with just one bottle, no need to buy two separate formulas to protect that color.
- Other favorites are Treat Collection, Cote and RMS.
- Read about my favorite safe nail polish remover from Base Coat Nail Salon here. These Priti NYC on the go remover wipes are perfect to keep in your bag or have for those hard to get areas while you are painting. (Their polish is safe too!).
- Do your research on a salon that uses safer alternatives for the whole process of getting your nails done. Don't be afraid to ask! If you cannot find one, bring your own nail polish to the salon so you know what is going on your body. Remember this story from the NY Times? Do it for your manicurist too.
